North Carolina Grandmother Receives Life Sentence in Heart-Wrenching Child Abuse Case
Nashville, NC — In a case that has shaken the local community, a North Carolina grandmother was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the fatal beating of her 8-year-old granddaughter. Patricia Ann Ricks, aged 74, accepted an Alford plea, acknowledging the substantial evidence against her while not admitting guilt in the tragic death of Christal Lane. The courtroom, heavily attended by family members and Christal’s teachers, witnessed a poignant end to …